" Tell me, gentlemen," I said, " what is regarded
as a normal percentage of profit in business/5
" As much as you can get/' said the spokesman
shortly*
" Well, that's honest,51 I saicl, cc but does it apply
to British firms dealing with the British Government
during a war ? "
*" No, no ! of course not/' he replied.
cc Well/3 I said, u can you tell me what is re-
garded as a normal percentage of profit for a
British firm to make in its dealings with the British
Government (luring a war ? "
This stumped him for a moment ; then he said :
u I should think that would be left to the British
Government to decide,'5
I said that I quite agreed with him, and added
that in the case of the dates the British Government
had already decided that 15 per cent, was an
ample margin of profit. 1 would therefore take the
dates at the figure which I calculated would pro-
duce this result, and not at the price they had
tendered. They did not like this very much, but
contented themselves with sending a protest to
General Maude-, which met the same fate as that of
the Hiliah merchants.
Apart from this one transaction I had nothing
very important to do at Basrah* which was perhaps
as well, for my health broke down and I had to be
invalided to India at the end of the year. While I
was still in India 1 had orders to go to Gairo at
once and report to the High Commissioner. Noth-
ing more was said in the telegram, but I heard at
'Delhi that I was wanted for the Arab operations in
which my old acquaintance, Lawrencc? had so
greatly distinguished himself*